Wilcon Acquires Freedom Dark Fiber Networks

August 13, 2013

Becomes one of the largest privately held fiber optic networks in SoCal Expands range and depth of regional capabilities to SoCal businesses Multiplies addressable market across major metro hubs

Wilcon, the premier west coast provider of best-in- class fiber optic and data center infrastructure, furthers its expansion by announcing today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Freedom Dark Fiber Networks, the leading high-capacity dark fiber provider in southern California.

The combined company will constitute one of the largest fiber optic networks in southern California. Through the acquisition, Wilcon will grow its fiber footprint by nearly 3,000 additional route miles, providing access to nearly 1000 additional enterprise buildings, wireless communications sites, data centers and Internet hubs. The new customer-centric network will provide a powerful value proposition to the region’s major industries by giving them access to connectivity into strategic sub-markets not otherwise served by competitive providers.

Connecting from Bakersfield to San Diego, with dense metro fiber footprints in Los Angeles, Burbank, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita, Long Beach, Irvine, Riverside, Carlsbad and San Diego, the joint network will offer diverse routes throughout the region to provide customers with high-capacity services that ensure optimal performance for their mission-critical data traffic and applications. Our new network map can be seen here.

The combined network will offer the most dense fiber and interconnection infrastructure in downtown Los Angeles and vast network reach throughout southern California to deliver ultra-broadband performance and cost efficiencies for businesses, wireless carriers and other communications service providers.

Jon DeLuca, chief executive officer of Wilcon, states, “We put our customers first at Wilcon. By combining Wilcon’s robust network capabilities with the tremendous reach and abundant capacity of the Freedom network, we can deliver even better custom solutions with unparalleled fiber access.”

Dave Daigle, chief executive officer of Freedom Dark Fiber Networks, adds, “California is equivalent to being the world’s 12th largest economy. Our market is the epicenter of the global media and entertainment industries, home to major biomedical and higher education research centers, the largest manufacturing center in the U.S., and the primary hub of international telecom and trade traffic going to the Asia Pacific region. The collective capabilities of our organizations offer compelling customer solutions in this dynamic region.”

DeLuca continues, “I am very excited to have Dave join our executive team. Together, we will continue to invest in our business and expand its capabilities. With both companies founded and headquartered in Los Angeles, our commitment to the region and market knowledge is unsurpassed. We look forward to being a key player in the digital future of southern California. With demand for bandwidth expected to grow 29 percent annually, this acquisition increases our addressable market exponentially.”

As a result of the transaction, Freedom Dark Fiber Networks will be renamed Freedom Telecommunications. The combined company will offer a broad range of services, including dark fiber, Ethernet services and managed optical wavelengths.

The acquisition is backed by Pamlico Capital, which also led Wilcon’s acquisition in 2012 of IX2, a leading data center and interconnection provider in downtown Los Angeles.

"Combining Wilcon and Freedom creates a metro fiber platform with unmatched capacity and reach in the dynamic southern California market," explains Scott Stevens, a Partner with Pamlico Capital. "Pamlico Capital has invested in Internet infrastructure companies for over 15 years and sees great opportunity for Wilcon and Freedom to deliver innovative, market-leading solutions to its customers."

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Wilcon

Founded in 1998, Wilcon is a leading provider of fiber optic network infrastructure in Southern California connecting major colocation facilities, data centers and enterprise locations. With unparalleled network density and connectivity across downtown Los Angeles' Internet and telecommunications corridor, the company offers both dark fiber and lit services to international and domestic carriers and enterprises.

Wilcon also owns and operates leading data center and carrier-neutral colocation facilities in downtown Los Angeles, including its key hub at the One Wilshire Building. For more information, please visit http://wilcon.com/ or contact us at +1-888-600-2800 or info@wilcon.com.

Freedom Telecommunications

Founded in 2007, Freedom Telecommunications grew rapidly to become a leading, regional high- capacity dark fiber provider in Southern California. With vast network reach, Freedom delivers ultra- broadband solutions to leading businesses in a broad range of industries including media and entertainment, financial services, healthcare, education, Internet services and wireless communications. For more information, please visit http://freedomtelecommunications.com/ or contact us at +1-800-800-9688 or info@freedomtelecommunications.com.

Pamlico Capital

Pamlico Capital is a private equity firm founded in 1988 that invests in growing middle market companies in the U.S. Pamlico Capital seeks control-oriented growth equity and buyout investments of up to $75 million alongside proven management teams in its target industries, business and technology services, communications and healthcare. The firm, based in Charlotte, NC, currently manages over $2 billion in assets. Please refer to http://pamlicocapital.com for additional information.